Electronics & Communications Engineering

Analog computing is one of the main pillars of Unconventional Computing. Almost forgotten for decades, we now see an ever-increasing interest in electronic analog computing because it offers a path to high-performance and highly energy-efficient computing. These characteristics are of great importance in a world where vast amounts of electric energy are consumed by today’s computer systems. Analog computing can deliver efficient solutions to many computing problems, ranging from general purpose analog computation to specialised systems like analog artificial neural networks.

The book “Analog Computing” has established itself over the past decade as the standard textbook on the subject and has been substantially extended in this second edition, which includes more than 300 additional bibliographical entries, and has been expanded in many areas to include much greater detail. These enhancements will confirm this book’s status as the leading work in the field. It covers the history of analog computing from the Antikythera Mechanism to recent electronic analog computers and uses a wide variety of worked examples to provide a comprehensive introduction to programming analog computers. It also describes hybrid computers, digital differential analysers, the simulation of analog computers, stochastic computers, and provides a comprehensive treatment of classic and current analog computer applications. The last chapter looks into the promising future of analog computing.

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From smart sensors to cloud to TinyML, learn the IoT ecosystem by developing on ESP32 with industry-wide tools and technologies

Key Features

• Build IoT projects from scratch using ESP32
• Customize solutions, take them to cloud, visualize real-time data, implement security features
• Practice using a variety of hands-on projects such as an audio player, smart home, and more

Book Description

The ESP32 is a low-cost, low-power, SoC (system on a chip) series of microcontrollers with integrated WiFi and dual-mode Bluetooth. It has shipped >100M units as of 2018 and powers many WiFi devices on the market. This book provides end-to-end coverage of building an IoT system from the ground up to secure data communication techniques from sensors to cloud platforms that will help you to develop production-grade IoT solutions by using the ESP32 SoC.

Starting with the fundamentals of IoT supported with real-world use cases, this book will take you through every aspect of building an IoT device using ESP32 from scratch. With every chapter, you’ll learn to expand your IoT applications with features such as sensor communication, integrating popular IoT libraries such as Little FS, LVGL and more, connectivity via. WiFi/BLE, security features, cloud connectivity and real-time data visualization techniques using Grafana.

Moving further, an entire section is dedicated to covering AI/ML for embedded systems. You’ll learn to build and run ML applications using TInyML and ESP32-S3 to create state-of-the-art embedded products.

The book takes a hands-on approach to have you start building IoT solutions right from the start. An end-to-end IoT solution in the form of a Smart Home is dedicated towards the end of the book where you apply all the techniques learned through the book in real-time.

Get started with building secure, production grade IoT systems on ESP32, today!

What you will learn

• Using IDE and development tools effectively with debugging/testing features
• How to drive popular peripherals and external devices (GPIO, I2C, multimedia, storage)
• Handy IoT libraries to be integrated into ESP32 projects
• Managing WiFi (STA & AP modes, provisioning, ESP Rainmaker framework features)
• Security features (Secure boot, OTA firmware update)
• Developing AWS IoT and visualizing data with Grafana
• Adding voice capabilities by employing the ESP AFE and Speech recognition framework
• Develop ML applications using TinyML on ESP32-S3 and the Edge Impulse platform
• Developing TinyML applications on ESP32-S3

Who This Book Is For

If you are an embedded software developer, an IoT software architect or developer, a technologist, or anyone who wants to learn how to use ESP32 and its applications, this book is for you.

A basic understanding of embedded systems, programming, networking, and cloud computing concepts is necessary to get started with the book.

Table of Contents

1. Overview of ESP32 / Introduction to IoT development and the ESP32 platform
2. Understanding the development tools to create the first application
3. Using ESP32 peripherals to drive external devices
4. Employing 3rd-party libraries in ESP32 projects
5. Project – Audio player
6. Using WiFi communication for connectivity
7. Learning ESP32 security features for production-grade devices
8. Connecting to cloud platforms and using services
9. Project – Smart home
10. TensorFlow Basics and TinyML
11. Developing on EdgeImpulse platform
12. Project – Baby monitor

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If you’re ready to learn how to use all those fancy functions of your new digital SLR camera so that you can have more control over the pictures you take, then this book is for you!

Read on your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet, or Kindle device.

Let me guess: You recently got a new DSLR camera, and in all your excitement, you tossed the manual somewhere and then went out to take pictures. Of course, similar to a “point-and-shoot” camera, anybody can take a fairly decent image using the Auto setting, because the camera does all of the work for you! However, with Auto mode, you’ll soon find yourself frustrated at the lackluster quality the photographs have. Auto mode simply doesn’t give you enough control over your image.

Believe it or not, photography is actually a hard skill to learn. The biggest obstacle is that people often feel daunted by all of the seemingly complex functions, buttons, and dials available to them on a DSLR camera. And this is where I come in to help! I’ve written this short book as an easy-to-understand guide on how to use the manual functions on your camera. Regardless of the brand of your camera, the goal of this eBook is to take the fear out of all the unknown buttons and features. As you’ll come to find out, once you’ve gotten control over your camera, you’ll begin to have more control over your photographs. Your frustration with your camera will subside, and even if you consider yourself an amateur or a beginner, your images will take on a much more professional, technical quality. So if you’re ready to impress yourself (and get your money’s worth from your expensive camera) by becoming a savvy DSLR photographer, then let’s get started!

Here Is A Preview Of What You’ll Learn…

• Getting Started with the Basics
• Choosing Your Settings
• Understanding the Dial on Top of Your Camera
• Learning to Read the Display
• Getting the Hang of Metering Modes and Focus Modes
• Understanding ISO and White Balance
• Learning to Work in RAW
• Much, much more!

Download your copy today!

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*REVISED AND UPDATED*

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK 2022*
*A TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEARS 2022*
*A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BUSINESS BOOK 2022*

‘A fascinating study of the tech giant and its symbiotic relationship with the Chinese government’ – Guardian

‘Vital . . . More than a corporate hagiography, Ms. Chen’s book offers insight into the company via executive interviews and exclusive details.’ — New York Times

‘Influence Empire by Lulu Yilun Chen is so much more than the long-awaited story of Tencent and its vital everything app, WeChat, the messaging tool used by 1.3 billion people. It’s also the sobering account of an entire generation of high-flying Chinese tech entrepreneurs, whose wings were clipped by the omnipotent hand of their own government.’ — Brad Stone, author of Amazon Unbound and The Everything Store

PRE-ORDER NOW: the definitive look at Tencent, one of the world’s largest tech companies.
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In 2017, a company known as Tencent overtook Facebook to become the world’s fifth largest company. It was a watershed moment, a wake-up call for those in the West accustomed to regarding the global tech industry through the prism of Silicon Valley: Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft.

Yet to many of the two billion-plus people who live just across the Pacific Ocean, it came as no surprise at all.

Founded by the enigmatic billionaire Pony Ma, the firm that began life as a simple text-message operator invested in and created some of China’s most iconic games en route to dreaming up WeChat – the Swiss Army knife super-app that combines messaging, shopping and entertainment. Through billions of dollars of global investments in marquee names from Fortnite to Tesla and a horde of start-ups, Ma’s company went on to build a near-unparalleled empire of influence.

In this fascinating narrative – crammed with insider interviews and exclusive details – Lulu Chen tells the story of how Tencent created the golden era of Chinese technology, and delves into key battles involving Didi, Meituan and Alibaba. It’s a chronicle of critical junctures and asks just what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in China.
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‘There’s so much fascinating detail here.’ — The Times

‘Lulu Yilun Chen has written a sharply informed, smart and compelling account of the rise of some of the most powerful companies in China, which also stand among the biggest and richest tech giants in the world. Despite their enormous size and power, few outside of China know of or understand these companies. Now, thanks to Influence Empire: Inside the Story of Tencent and China’s Tech Ambition, that will finally change.’ — Howard French, former NY Times Shanghai bureau chief and author of Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China’s Push for Global Power

‘A book that tells Tencent’s story has been long overdue, and Lulu Chen’s account is not only comprehensive, but also a gripping business narrative. The globally influential company finally has the account it deserves.’ — David Barboza, The Wire

*A Forbes Espana Top Ten Book 2022*
*A Project Syndicate 2022 Best Read*

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OpenTelemetry is a revolution in observability data. Instead of running multiple uncoordinated pipelines, OpenTelemetry provides users with a single integrated stream of data, providing multiple sources of high-quality telemetry data: tracing, metrics, logs, RUM, eBPF, and more. This practical guide shows you how to set up, operate, and troubleshoot the OpenTelemetry observability system.

Authors Austin Parker, head of developer relations at Lightstep and OpenTelemetry Community Maintainer, and Ted Young, cofounder of the OpenTelemetry project, cover every OpenTelemetry component, as well as observability best practices for many popular cloud, platform, and data services such as Kubernetes and AWS Lambda. You’ll learn how OpenTelemetry enables OSS libraries and services to provide their own native instrumentation—a first in the industry.

Ideal for application developers, OSS maintainers, operators and infrastructure teams, and managers and team leaders, this book guides you through:

• The principles of modern observability
• All OpenTelemetry components—and how they fit together
• A practical approach to instrumenting platforms and applications
• Methods for installing, operating, and troubleshooting an OpenTelemetry-based observability solution
• Ways to roll out and maintain end-to-end observability across a large organization
• How to write and maintain consistent, high-quality instrumentation without a lot of work

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Comprehend the mysteries―and the amazing potential―of quantum computing

Quantum computing has the promise to be the next huge thing in technology. How do we know that? Look at how much the big players in tech are investing in the technology. Quantum Computing For Dummies preps you for the amazing changes that are coming with the world of computing built on the phenomena of quantum mechanics. Need to know what is it and how does it work? This easy-to-understand book breaks it down and answers your most pressing questions. Get a better understanding of how quantum computing is revolutionizing networking, data management, cryptography, and artificial intelligence in ways that would have previously been unthinkable. With a Dummies guide by your side, you’ll get a primer on the inner workings and practical applications of quantum computers.

• Learn the difference binary and quantum computers
• Discover which industries will be most influenced by quantum computing
• See how quantum improves encryption and enables business
• Take a look at how quantum is applied in big data and AI

For technologists and IT pros interested in getting on board the quantum train―plus anyone who’s quantum-curious―this Dummies guide is a must-have.

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The second edition of a bestseller, Safety Differently: Human Factors for a New Era is a complete update of Ten Questions About Human Error: A New View of Human Factors and System Safety. Today, the unrelenting pace of technology change and growth of complexity calls for a different kind of safety thinking. Automation and new technologies have resulted in new roles, decisions, and vulnerabilities whilst practitioners are also faced with new levels of complexity, adaptation, and constraints. It is becoming increasingly apparent that conventional approaches to safety and human factors are not equipped to cope with these challenges and that a new era in safety is necessary.

In addition to new material covering changes in the field during the past decade, the book takes a new approach to discussing safety. The previous edition looked critically at the answers human factors would typically provide and compared/contrasted them with current research and insights at that time. The edition explains how to turn safety from a bureaucratic accountability back into an ethical responsibility for those who do our dangerous work, and how to embrace the human factor not as a problem to control, but as a solution to harness.

See What’s in the New Edition:

• New approach reflects changes in the field
• Updated coverage of system safety and technology changes
• Latest human factors/ergonomics research applicable to safety

Organizations, companies, and industries are faced with new demands and pressures resulting from the dynamics and nature of the modern marketplace and from the development and introduction of new technologies. This new era calls for a different kind of safety thinking, a thinking that sees people as the source of diversity, insight, creativity, and wisdom about safety, not as the source of risk that undermines an otherwise safe system. It calls for a kind of thinking that is quicker to trust people and mistrust bureaucracy, and that is more committed to actually preventing harm than to looking good. This book takes a forward-looking and assertively progressive view that prepares you to resolve current safety issues in any field.

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The perfect companion for anyone buying (or thinking of buying) a drone, whether it’s just for fun, to race against friends, or to give their to give their photography a whole new angle.

The Drone Pilot’s Handbook gives you the skills and techniques you need to fly and maintain your multicopter drone, tips for tuning it for maximum performance, and – importantly – a clear graphical guide to where the law will and won’t allow you to fly. Meanwhile, spectacular aerial photography from around the world will inspire you to get airborne immediately!

Occasional boxouts provide safety tips, handy ideas, and URLs, and flying instructions are presented with attractive original illustrations. This clean approach that makes a welcome contrast to ugly online forums, or the PDFs that drone manufacturers provide, and will have you up and away in no time.

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